Big Wild Bi-Weekly December 13, 2012

The Northwest Passage Scenic Byway

Dear Wildlanders,

We wanted to take the time and thank you for being an integral part of our wildland community. We accomplished a lot in 2012 and look forward to working with you in 2013. Together we can continue to make a difference in protecting a place we all love and cherish: Wild Clearwater Country!

With the help of Jane O’Holly Productions, we have some new YouTube videos on our website. We want to thank Jane Grochowski and long-time FOC supporter Holly Schroeder for taking the time to produce them. Click here to watch the first video describing the vast culture and heritage of the Clearwater Basin.

We would also like to extend our gratitude to the Alternative Giving Market of the Palouse (AGMP) for selecting us to participate in this year’s event. The market is designed to promote local charitable giving on the Palouse during the holiday season. Approximately, two-dozen non-profits were recognized and received support from community members. Learn more about the AGMP.

The Cafe Sage in Lewiston is featuring the exhibit Alternating Currents from Dec 6 – Jan 31. This marks the third year that landscape architecture students from Washington State University are sharing their visions with the public. The student’s work focuses on the dynamic qualities of the landscape and what the future of the lower Snake River could look like. The cafe is located at 1303 Main Street and there is no charge to view the exhibit.

In wildland news, The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) continues to issue permits for road-blocking megaloads to traverse US 12. Omega Morgan just transported two more water purification vessels up the corridor and into Montana. The federal case of Idaho Rivers United vs. US Forest Service is approaching, however. Opening arguments are scheduled for February 6 in Boise. Advocates for the West are representing the plaintiffs. Learn more.

Speaking of ITD, the agency just announced that they have approved a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) regarding the realignment of a 6.5-mile stretch along US 95, just south of Moscow. ITD has indicated that they prefer the “eastern realignment”, which means the proposal would reroute that current stretch of highway into the Paradise Ridge vicinity, before dropping back into the southern city limits of Moscow. The DEIS will soon be released for public comment and a hearing has been set for Wednesday January 23 in Moscow at the University Inn Best Western. The public comment period will expire February 23.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks just established a no hunting/trapping buffer for wolves along the northern boundaries of Yellowstone National Park after hunters killed a number of them just outside the park. Many of the wolves were collared and were part of on-going predator/prey research that is conducted by park wildlife biologists. With trapping season beginning in Montana on December 15, there is concern that many more wolves would be lured out of the park and killed by hunters and trappers. The death of these wolves has also brought backlash from the tourism industry; visitors to the national park generate approximately $35 million annually to the local economy. Watch the brand new video produced by Predator DefenseThe American Imperiled Wolf.